Monday, December 8, 2014

Energy Firms in Secretive Alliance With Attorneys General

The
letter to the Environmental Protection Agency from Attorney General
Scott Pruitt of Oklahoma carried a blunt accusation: Federal regulators
were grossly overestimating the amount of air pollution caused by energy
companies drilling new natural gas wells in his state.

But Mr. Pruitt left out one critical point. The three-page letter was written by lawyers for Devon Energy, one of Oklahoma’s biggest oil and gas companies, and was delivered to him by Devon’s chief of lobbying.

“Outstanding!” William F. Whitsitt, who at the time directed government relations at the company, said in a note to Mr. Pruitt’s office.....

... Attorneys general in at least a dozen states are working with energy
companies and other corporate interests, which in turn are providing
them with record amounts of money for their political campaigns,
including at least $16 million this year....

....Out
of public view, corporate representatives and attorneys general are
coordinating legal strategy and other efforts to fight federal
regulations, according to a review of thousands of emails and court
documents and dozens of interviews.

“When
you use a public office, pretty shamelessly, to vouch for a private
party with substantial financial interest without the disclosure of the
true authorship, that is a dangerous practice,” said David B. Frohnmayer,
a Republican who served a decade as attorney general in Oregon. “The
puppeteer behind the stage is pulling strings, and you can’t see. I
don’t like that. And when it is exposed, it makes you feel used.”.... read more here